"In August, when Donald Trump hit a rough patch following the Republican Convention—with poll numbers plunging and GOP leaders defecting—TIME commissioned illustrator Edel Rodriguez for a vivid dripping image of Trump. It was titled 'Meltdown.' Two months later, when the release of a recording of the soon-to-be President-elect making vulgar comments plunged the campaign into a new level of chaos, Rodriguez gave TIME this perfectly apt sequel: an even-more-liquefied Trump image, titled 'Total Meltdown.' The cover, by TIME Creative Director D.W. Pine, distilled the unprecedented events into an iconic portrait and became a viral sensation."

"As one of few independent alumni publications in the country, Cornell Alumni Magazine runs on an extremely tight budget. We need to rely on cost-effective creativity when it comes to producing our covers."

"The artwork on our March/April 2016 cover—a granulated homage to Edvard Munch's The Scream—highlighted our lead feature story, which sounded the alarm about dangerous levels of fructose in the American diet. It was created for the price of a bag of sugar, a packet of toothpicks, and a sheet of blue Plexiglass."

"It's a double-take photograph: Is that magazine really flipping the bird at me? But of course, on closer inspection, the joke reveals itself, twice over. That's a ring finger, not a middle finger, for a cover about the newfound political clout of unmarried women. The headline for Rebecca Traister's cover story replaces, at the base of that finger, an absent ring. In place of a gold band lies "the most potent political force in America." In the end, the image produced a cover that was clever and iconic — and as powerful as its subject."

Readers' Choice Winner

The New Yorker
"Anything But That," November 14, 2016

Barry Blitt, Illustrator

"The genius of this cover, which was on newsstands the week of the election, was that 'it’ll apply next week, whether it’s one [candidate] or the other,' according to Barry Blitt, the artist behind it. 'And it’s
nice to take a break and not have to draw Trump—or Hillary, for that matter,' he said."

Finalist

Audubon
"Arctic on the Edge," January/February 2016

Kevin Fisher, Designer
Benjamin Grant, Photographer

"Benjamin Grant offers a seldom-seen perspective on drilling in the Arctic with this shot of an oil platform off western Siberia, which is part of his ongoing project 'Daily Overview.' Grant constructs his overviews very deliberately: Through a partnership with satellite image provider DigitalGlobe, he stitches together 16 or 17 shots to create an image. The result: hauntingly beautiful satellite images of human impacts on the planet. Grant’s goal with this series: 'awareness, and if people are more aware of what is going on in the world, hopefully we will take action together to make it a better, safer planet.'”

Finalist

Esquire
"Hater in Chief," February 2016

David Curcurito, Designer
Nigel Parry, Photographer

"It’s a pout that has become all too familiar. Months before the rest of the media understood the power that Donald Trump was tapping into across America, Esquire captured the future-president in a candid—even by Trump standards—portrait. Scott Raab's interview with the businessman takes place only days after Trump first suggested registering Muslims and shutting down mosques. The image, and the story itself, hints at the spectacle of xenophobia and populist discontent that would carry him to the greatest election upset in American political history."

Finalist

Los Angeles
"IMMIGRATION," October 2016

Lynnette Galloway, Senior Art Director
Steve Wilson, Illustrator

"Los Angeles magazine’s cover on the topic of Immigration presented a unique design challenge: How do you communicate the subject in a way that felt inviting and also represented the symbolism of America as well as Los Angeles? As designers, it’s always tough to find original and thought-provoking ways to present big ideas, but senior art director Lynnette Galloway knocked it out when she connected the visuals of an American flag and the red carpet in a way that could become a symbol for a new conversation on Immigration in this city and in this country."

Finalist

New York
"Eight Years in America," October 3-16, 2016

Dan Winters, Photographer

"Dan Winters had five minutes with the president. He had mocked up the Blue Room's layout in his studio and rehearsed five setups, to make five pictures, with a stopwatch. Forty-eight hours before the shoot, he found out it would be three minutes. After the first one, Obama stood up to leave; Winters said, 'No, Mr. President, we have another,' and guided him to the next setup, and the next. The result, both familiar (via JFK) and fresh, plays perfectly with the coverline "Hope, and What Came After," down to the ripply window view of the Washington Monument."

"The pop singer Prince died in April, at the age of fifty-seven, but his legacy will remain with us for a long, long time. Our cover for that week’s issue, Bob Staake’s 'Purple Rain,' is a tribute to the great performer. It was released just hours after the artist’s death and was shared widely in the news media and on social-media platforms as fans around the world mourned his passing."

Readers' Choice Winner

EMMY
"Outta Sight!" June 1, 2016

Richard Bleiweiss, Designer
Mike Ruiz, Photographer

"Before her starring role in the ABC drama Quantico, Priyanka Chopra was named Miss World, modeled extensively, and appeared in 50-plus Bollywood films, so she is comfortable in front of a camera, to say the least. In the portfolio that accompanies this cover story, photographer Mike Ruiz captured the Indian actress in striking, full-length fashion poses, but for the cover, he opted for intimacy: a dramatic close-up acccentuating her impossible-to-ignore eyes. Even those who may not recognize Chopra at first glance will inevitably, thanks to Ruiz and makeup artist Stephanie Barnes, be unable to look away."

Finalist

Billboard
"Bowie 1947-2016," January 23, 2016

Nicole Tereza, Designer
Lynn Goldsmith, Photographer

"After pouring through thousands of images and mocking up more than 50 cover options, Billboard’s breathtaking send-off for David Bowie was shaped through the use of a Lynn Goldsmith photograph taken at Radio City in 1973. By blending Billboard’s logo into the black backdrop, Bowie's iconic Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt and coif were able to pop—but it was the decision to keep his silhouette small that resulted in the deeply poignant effect of him exiting the stage as if ascending on to some alternate universe. The evocative cover captured both the magic of Bowie's spirit and the industry's mournful tone."

Finalist

ESPN The Magazine
"I Shook Up the World," June 27, 2016

Chin Wang, Creative Director
Stanley Weston, Photographer

"With the news of Muhammad Ali’s passing we wanted to create a cover that encapsulated the personality of Ali, without repeating the images we have seen of him throughout his career. We looked at 15,000 images that were available to us via image services, agencies and photographers. We found a long forgotten image—back when Ali was known as Cassius Clay—following Clay's fourth-round victory over Archie Moore after a 1962 bout in Los Angeles. We then paired the shot with one of Ali's dynamic quotes to honor the life of The Greatest."

"For W's September 2016 cover, Rihanna is imagined by W's Fashion and Style Director Edward Enninful, photographer Steven Klein and *Se7en* screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (plus, a slew of designers) as Tomorrow, the last woman on earth and the ruling warrior queen in a dark, dystopian future. Legendary i-D editor Terry Jones was a guest creative director on this issue, and his influence is seen clearly in the cover."

Finalist

Wired
"Silicon Valley," April 2016 split covers

Billy Sorrentino, Designer
Art Streiber, Photographer

"The characters on HBO’s Silicon Valley would love to be on a WIRED cover—so we gave each of them a cover on this splitrun. The only catch: Each was left off the cover they are holding. Meta? You’ll have to ask them."

Bloomberg Businessweek
"United's Quest to Be Less Awful," January 18-24, 2016

"United Airlines wants to fix itself, so we created a cover in the style of an airline safety manual identifying some of the problems they must overcome."

Readers' Choice Winner

Chicagoly
"Addicted to the Internet," Fall 2016

Vasilis Papadrosos, Designer
Peter Jablokow, Illustrator

"The fall 2016 issue was Chicagoly's unofficial Technology issue. The themes of the main features in the issue explored how technology has changed society in various ways, from personal to cultural. We worked with architectural illustrator Peter Jablokow, who applied his vast knowledge of perspective to help us use juxtoposition to communicate the concept of technology as a fixture in modern society, much like the skyscrapers themselves that are immovable representatives of that society."

Finalist

Bloomberg Businessweek
"Yahoo's $8 Billion Black Hole," May 2-8, 2016

"Yahoo is for sale, but it's a hard sell. We tell you exactly what you will and won't be getting with purchase."

Finalist

The California Sunday Magazine
"Mr. (Swipe) Right?," February 7, 2016

Leo Jung, Designer
Gillian Laub, Photographer

"Our February cover story profiled Sean Rad, the controversial young founder and CEO of Tinder. After a year of scandal in which he was fired then reinstated, Rad was looking to prove that he, and his company, had been redeemed. Gillian Laub’s dramatic portraits of Rad capture the conflicting identities of the young executive. On the front cover (shown on the left), Rad strikes a penitent pose at Tinder headquarters, while the company’s communications director supervises from out of frame. The inside cover (shown on the right) reveals his youthful bravado and hints at the pressure he faces."

"Our cover story chronicled the bitter dispute between Apple and the cops over privacy issues related to encryption on iPhones. The cover story, 'What if Apple Is Wrong?' examined whether new layers of secrecy on smartphones might damage the criminal justice system in return for only marginal gains in our personal privacy. We worked with artist Jonno Rattman, who shot the cover photo based on evidence kept by New York police. The simple, stark image transforms the common sight of a cracked iPhone screen into an iconic statement about an embattled company."

Finalist

Newsweek
"Trade Wars," December 16, 2016

Robert Priest and Grace Lee, Designers
Nathan Fox, Illustrator

"In the grand cinematic tradition of kung fu movie posters that have touted the work of auteurs ranging from Bruce Lee to Ang Lee, the December 16 cover of Newsweek takes on one of the most important—and most dangerous—initiatives of Donald Trump's impending presidency: his vow to slay the Chinese trade dragon. The cover depicting the two main combatants (perhaps not 100 percent accurately) presents a potentially wonky subject with wit and verve, and makes a subtle prediction about which combatant in this face-off is the more formidable."

“'Bohemian beards may save time because you don’t have to shave, but a big beard demands commitment,' Tomer Hanuka, the artist behind this cover, says. 'But I think superbeards can add gravitas to any face.' Regarding his own grooming habits, Hanuka says that he is afflicted with a 'Homer Simpson chin,' in spite of the fact that he shaves his chin (and skull) regularly."

"As one of few independent alumni publications in the country, Cornell Alumni Magazine runs on an extremely tight budget. We need to rely on cost-effective creativity when it comes to producing our covers."

"The artwork on our March/April 2016 cover—a granulated homage to Edvard Munch's The Scream—highlighted our lead feature story, which sounded the alarm about dangerous levels of fructose in the American diet. It was created for the price of a bag of sugar, a packet of toothpicks, and a sheet of blue Plexiglass."

"For our Summer Guide package, we wanted an iconic image that would capture the feeling of the season and our region. We landed on an evocative image of sweet tea in a mason jar, with casual yet stylish hand-drawn type. The This cover captures the vibe of summer in the South."

Finalist

Horse Illustrated
"Shake It Off," September 2016

Liliana Estep, Design Director
Wiebke Haas, Photographer

"The September 2016 issue of Horse Illustrated was the first to feature our redesigned look—inside and out. The goal with our redesign was to elevate the magazine by providing a more sophisticated package to deliver practical information on horse and rider health, tack and gear and the equestrian lifestyle, which are called out at the top of the cover. The black background of the image recalls the elegance of human portraiture and accentuates the dramatic movement of the haflinger’s mane. The main cover line is playful, as well as helpful, and echoes the horse’s wild motion."

"'I trolled Karl-Anthony Towns' Instagram feed to find clues about his personality and how he had been photographed previously,' Karen Frank, ESPN The Magazine's director of photography, says of the Minnesota Timberwolves star center. 'The image of a kid hanging off the rim of a toy basketball hoop was an element that suggests scale, and it was something that could be built into our set. We were going to combine this with another idea—having Karl-Anthony tilt his head to fit within our cover, but we then we decided to build a forced perspective box to accentuate the concept even further.'"

Readers' Choice Winner

VILLE
"Men of the Match," May/June 2016

Charity Mainville, Designer
Ernie Sapiro, Photographer

"I wanted a cover that hasn't been done in Seattle for our Health & Fitness issue—showcase the bodies of the Seattle Sounders FC soccer players to show the fitness and athletic performance in the sport. Nelson Valdez, Tyrone Mears and Zach Scott were chosen with an interview of each player on how they maintain their health and fitness along with an interview of the Director of Performance and Sports, David Tenney (not pictured). The cover went viral the day it was released. This year, Seattle Sounders FC have advanced to the 2016 MLS Cup for the first time."

Finalist

ESPN The Magazine
"WNBA 20th Anniversary," May 23, 2016

Chin Wang, Creative Director
Dylan Coulter, Photographer

"For the 20th anniversary of the WNBA we wanted to create a special gatefold cover that spoke to the players who have changed the world of professional sports and showed the lineage of those who've forged the way. Twelve women, ranging from players representing the inaugural season to one who was drafted just days before our photo shoots, took part in this tribute, which called for two studios in different cities on successive days. The gatefold features a layup—that quintessential basketball move—as a composite of nine players because we wanted to convey both motion and the evolution of the league."

Finalist

Garden & Gun
"Sporting South," December 2016/January 2017

Marshall McKinney, Designer
Andrew Kornylak, Photographer

"BB, the English setter featured on G&G’s annual 'Sporting South' cover, is one of countless working dogs that have scoured the prairie and pine forests of George Hi Plantation, which dates back to the 1850s. Hi’s thousand acres are a living laboratory for restoring many of the South’s native grasses—and the wild bobwhite quail that inhabit them. It’s no small task to get a dog to sit still in a quail field, but photographer Andrew Kornylak captured one of a wing shooter’s favorite scenes: a gundog, bathed in early-morning light, nose scanning for the scent of a covey."

Finalist

Runner's World
"50th Anniversary," November 2016 split covers

Benjamen Purvis, Designer
Art Streiber, Photographer

"For the Runner’s World 50th anniversary gatefold cover, we asked comedian and runner Kevin Hart to 'reenact' two memorable eras from our past, plus a third to represent the 'new boom' of runners coming into the sport in unconventional ways. With a single tweet to his 30 million social media followers, Hart can rally thousands of people for an impromptu 5K run, arguably making him running's most effective advocate. Photographer Art Streiber perfectly captured the eras; we loved the '70s image so much that we chose it for the front cover, then progressed through '80s tracksuit to present-day selfie."

Finalist

SELF
"Strong Is Sexy," September 2016

Barbara Reyes, Creative Director
Mark Seliger, Photographer

"SELF's September cover, featuring Serena Williams, embodies one of the brand’s core principles: Strong is sexy. Photographer Mark Seliger captures the tennis superhero’s defined body and expressive face, showing her as beautiful and sculpted but also deeply human. The minimalist design, conceived by SELF’s creative director, Barbara Reyes, lets the heroic image stand out while also conveying a subtle sense of movement with its graphic treatment of words. Coverlines expand the reader’s sense of what she can achieve, redefining what is possible for her. The result: a powerful tribute to how SELF is changing the conversation around femininity and strength."

"Vogue’s October cover story on Lupita Nyong’o captures one of the most formidable and stylish women in the world today with uncommon beauty, intelligence, and sophistication. In Mario Testino's indelible cover portrait, Nyong’o isn’t just a stunning and world-famous movie star, she is a powerful woman of color and a force for global cultural change. Elizabeth Rubin’s accompanying profile, meanwhile, is similarly memorable, offering revealing insights into Nyong'o’s professional and personal life and her mission to effect change in Hollywood and around the world."

Readers' Choice Winner

Looking Good
"Style Sisters," April/May 2016

Ryan Gladhill, Designer
David Hartcorn, Photographer

"This cover features twins Jade and Jenna McDonnell who are devoted to fashion and modeling together. The 5-page feature photo essay is about their journey back to their old home which is in the process of being torn down. Together, they wander the broken rooms of their childhood, reliving the old times while realizing that they have come of age and can no longer return figuratively or literally. The shoot and cover shot tries to capture this delicate moment that is exciting, sad and also beautiful."

Finalist

Harper's Bazaar
"Jennifer Aniston," April 2016

Camilla Akrans, Photographer

"The Versus Versace dress—strategically clasped at the hip and tippy top of the thigh—is drop-dead sexy. The woman wearing it—the inimitable Jennifer Aniston—is even more so. For our April subscriber cover, Harper’s Bazaar tapped photographer Camilla Akrans to shoot Aniston as if she were walking on water, a divine incarnation of the Hollywood goddess. Akrans captured Aniston, posed in statuesque profile and reflected in the gently rippling water, against the pinky blue sunset for an image that is at once alluring, conceptual and distinctly memorable."

Finalist

Harper's Bazaar
"Gwen Stefani: The New Look," August 2016

Alexi Lubomirski, Photographer

"Breaking from type, musician Gwen Stefani posed for our August subscriber cover. In place of her trademark red pout and bold hair, Harper’s Bazaar gave Stefani a subdued makeup palette and let her blonde locks down in a soft, pretty style. Giorgio Armani’s tulle cape—and nothing else—added the right touch of drama, as captured by photographer Alexi Lubomirski. Stefani, meanwhile, pulled in readers with her compelling personal story of a second chance at love."

Finalist

W
"Cara Delevingne," June/July 2016

Cian Brown, Designer
Mario Sorrenti, Photographer

"Cara Delevingne stole hearts as a playful model—now, she's taking over the world of acting as well. In the June/July 2016 issue of W magazine, Delevigne discussed her role in the new film Suicide Squad."

"In a sparse setting on the outskirts of Los Angeles, supermodel Gigi Hadid wears enchanting looks and takes WSJ. readers on a mystical journey on the cover of the October issue. Stylist George Cortina and photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin explore dark, dramatic elements as they capture Hadid in a high-fashion silhouette unlike anything she’s done before. Adding to the magic, for the first time WSJ. printed its cover using a special silverink treatment. The result is an unforgettable image of one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary models."

"Photographer Oddur Thorisson’s still-life composition set against a field of burnt orange is an outright challenge to the Instagram-driven idea that food is best shot top-down. Those two perfect plates of rigatoni and tortellini at a trattoria in Umbria are enticing, as are the wine and unfussy table setting. But that empty chair, ready for you to take a seat, is the most critical element of this soulful cover for Condé Nast Traveler’s October Food Issue."

Readers' Choice Winner

Living Bird
"The Penguin Revolution," Winter 2016

Joanne Uy Avila, Designer
Chris Linder, Photographer

"The winter 2016 Living Bird visually announced a new era, an extensive redesign, for our magazine. For our cover feature about climate change and penguin colonies, photographer Chris Linder worked for several weeks out of Antarctica's Palmer Research Station. Our cover was a gem from his collection of thousands—an affectionate moment of bill-rubbing between Gentoo penguin and chick, the perfect photo to immediately cut to a common cause shared by people and birds (caring for young). To bring more energy to our masthead, design editor Joanne Uy Avila debuted a new two-tone style that is both elegant and enlivened."

Finalist

5280
"Best Places to Camp in Colorado," June 2016

Dave McKenna, Designer
Seth K. Hughes, Photographer

"5280’s June cover showcases Colorado’s appeal as a summer destination, although the state is typically known as a world-class winter playground. The serene scene, captured by photographer Seth K. Hughes, shows why beautiful scenery and an alpenglow sunset make Colorado—in this case, Crested Butte—one of most beautiful places to camp in the world. Indeed, Hughes’ image marked the start of his life as a 'digital nomad,' who was embarking on a road trip across the United States with his Airstream trailer. We’d be hard pressed to think of a better sendoff."

Finalist

Condé Nast Traveler
"The Summer Issue," June/July 2016

Adrian Gaut, Photographer

"Adrian Gaut’s shot of a 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster zipping down Maui’s Piilani Highway put a fresh spin on the quintessential American road trip, a perfect subject for Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Summer Issue. Rich with nostalgia for the Beach Boys era and the uncomplicated summer vacations of years past, Gaut’s golden-hued image feels timeless yet attainable, inviting the reader to imagine him or herself in the driver’s seat, with that stack of surfboards and the open road leading to untrammeled, black sand Lone Keawe Beach."

Finalist

National Geographic
"Yellowstone: The Battle for the American West," May 2016

Emmet Smith, Designer
Jordan Metcalf, Illustrator

"Yellowstone is big. It's so big that the park boundaries don’t begin to cover it. It’s so big that we sent more than a dozen journalists there for almost two years to tell the story of this iconic place and our relationship with it. It’s a classic, epic National Geographic story. That demanded a classic, epic cover. Building around an illustrated map by Heinrich Berann, artist Jordan Metcalf rendered classic NatGeo and Yellowstone references in a fully modern way, perfectly capturing the ambition and audacity of the storytelling of this single-topic issue."

"In April, our cover story followed world-famous chef René Redzepi in the heady month before he launched Noma Australia. The cover, photographed by Mark Mahaney, features a provocative image: A chef, his back turned to us, prepares a mysterious concoction in his kitchen, while two cameramen track his every move. Like a film camera swiveling and zooming in, the inside cover (shown on the right) reveals the chef’s identity. Lush and painterly, Mahaney’s close-up of Redzepi depicts the intense focus of the chef’s gaze, and a pull quote hints at the pressure and exhilaration that accompany the restaurant’s premiere."

Readers' Choice Winner

VICE
March 2016

Maurizio Cattelan, Artist
Pierpaolo Ferrari, Photographer

"Artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari, self-described pranksters and the notorious duo of Italy’s Toilet Paper magazine, shot the cover for VICE’s redesign issue. Food is a common prop in their work—last year, for the New York Times Magazine, they produced cartoon-like images for a feature on Betty Crocker—and given complete autonomy from VICE, they settled on a skeleton, set against a bright-blue background and surrounded by prime cuts of animals. Stuffing ground beef into the skull’s eye sockets, and methodically laying chops beside the arm bones, they find, through deconstruction, humor and beauty in the unexpected."

"The May 2016 cover of Bon Appetit’s Travel issue was split three ways, with photographs by Alex Lau, Elizabeth Cecil, and Wilfred Hisashi. There’s a blueberry-bourbon donut from Blue Star in Portland, Oregon; a platter of oysters from the Walrus and the Carpenter in Seattle; and a bowl of ramen from Ken’s Ramen in Providence. Front and center against white, each one is pulled from a story in the well, which highlights the dishes and destinations that defined American eating this year. It’s all about food worth traveling for, and nothing makes that point more clearly than our cover stars."

"It would have been easy to pick one gorgeous dessert and create a "hero" photo for our cover. Instead, we chose to tone down the fussiness and showcase several desserts (with an occassional bite taken from them) and surround them with a casual approach to the lettering. Yummy and inviting. But the question that haunts me: Should we have used the words 'Sweet Home Chicago'?"

Finalist

Garden & Gun
"The Southern Food Issue," October/November 2016

Marshall McKinney, Designer
Johnny Autry, Photographer

"How do you make fried chicken, one of the South’s most beloved foods, feel new? First, you send an intrepid reporter deep into the Carolina Piedmont to discover a long-overlooked tradition: dipped chicken (fried yardbird bathed in tangy vinegar sauce). Next, you work with a chef to craft a home-cook-friendly version of his recipe, and then contract Asheville-based photographer and stylist team Johnny and Charlotte Autry to shoot it. Charlotte fried fifty pieces of chicken to arrive at this combination. The sauce clings to each curve, inviting readers to pick up a piece and dig in."

"The August 2016 issue of WIRED explores how to engineer maximum deliciousness, pack in nutrients, increase sustainability and build crazy food mashups (Momofuku’s caviar and fried chicken is just the beginning)."

“'My first job after graduation was as a waiter in a Times Square steak house. It lasted eight years,' R. Kikuo Johnson said of his cover. 'Around this time of year, I’d see lots of caps and gowns coming into the restaurant with their proud parents.' Johnson graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, in 2003, and now supports himself as an artist in Brooklyn. He also commutes to Providence, Rhode Island, to teach: 'It’s not just me—I’d say most of the other teachers at RISD are also alumni. That’s what made me think of this image.'"

"The cover of Tablet’s Fall 2016 issue is a nod to the Jewish High Holidays and the spirit of transformation that they engender. Barbra Streisand’s classic Yentl—a modern Ur-text about the porousness of not only gender roles but all identity formations—becomes a hopeful allegory for our own time. It’s an homage to the way human beings, and maybe women and Jews most specifically, have addressed the inevitability of change: by encouraging our past to inform our hopedfor future, and by then riding the wave—if not to our exact destination, then at least in its general direction."

Finalist

The California Sunday Magazine
"Listen," October 2, 2016

Leo Jung, Designer
Benjamin Rasmussen, Photographer

"In October, the California Sunday Magazine released its first themed issue, dedicated entirely to the topic of sound. In the opening piece, journalist Ashley Powers takes us into Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and introduces us to the team of researchers working to preserve the silence of the outdoors. On the cover, soundscape researcher Jacob Job lifts a boom mic into the air to search for the birdsong of the elusive wren. To capture the image, Denver-based photographer Benjamin Rasmussen hiked with Job to one of the forested spots where he collects sound samples."

"With six trips to the Super Bowl in the last 15 seasons, there's no disputing that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is the brains behind one of the NFL's most successful runs over the last 50 years. But is Coach Belichick a genius? 'This is one of the questions we asked ourselves when we conceived of this cover,' says ESPN The Magazine creative director Chin Wang. 'In the end, we combined a standard portrait of Coach Belichick with one of the most iconic images of Albert Einstein to make what we feel is a rather memorable cover.'"

Finalist

WIRED
"The End of Code," June 2016

Billy Sorrentino, Designer

"In the new world of artificial intelligence we won’t program computers—we’ll train them. Like dolphins. Or dogs. Or humans. The June 2016 issue of WIRED explores 'The End of Code.'"

"In August, when Donald Trump hit a rough patch following the Republican Convention—with poll numbers plunging and GOP leaders defecting—TIME commissioned illustrator Edel Rodriguez for a vivid dripping image of Trump. It was titled 'Meltdown.' Two months later, when the release of a recording of the soon-to-be President-elect making vulgar comments plunged the campaign into a new level of chaos, Rodriguez gave TIME this perfectly apt sequel: an even-more-liquefied Trump image, titled 'Total Meltdown.' The cover, by TIME Creative Director D.W. Pine, distilled the unprecedented events into an iconic portrait and became a viral sensation."

Readers' Choice Winner

Modern Trader
"Special Election Issue," November 2016

Michael Beckett, Art Director
Paul Lachine, Illustrator

"The illustrated image of the two presidential candidates, neck and neck on the home stretch with their faults and baggage in tow, was a collaboration between Jeff Joseph, the chief editor who conceived of the image, Michael Beckett, the publication's art director, and Paul Lachine, the Canadian illustrator who executed the vision so flawlessly. Janet Yellin, who anxiously awaits the outcome at the finish line, is a subject of the op-ed and feature story that the image refers to. The cover (and editorial) resulted in the most letters to the editor that our publication has ever received."

"To mark the unexpected results of the presidential election, we chose to feature two supporters who embodied the spirit of each candidate’s campaign—a Trump supporter looking defiant, and a Clinton supporter looking hopeful."

Finalist

The New Yorker
"Miss Congeniality," October 10, 2016

Barry Blitt, Illustrator

"After his first Presidential debate with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump went on defending his treatment of Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe whom he called 'Miss Piggy,' when she gained weight after the pageant, and 'Miss Housekeeping,' in apparent reference to her heritage. Barry Blitt recognized a significant moment in the Presidential campaign and created one of the year’s most iconic political images. Of all Trump’s dangerous beliefs, Blitt said about this image, his misogyny 'might just be his Achilles’ heel.'”

Finalist

Variety
"Media Monster," April 26, 2016

Chuck Kerr, Designer
Anita Kunz, Illustrator

"Politics and showmanship have always gone hand-in-hand, but the current crop of candidates is hunting celebrity status and mainstream media exposure in a way never seen before. The definition of ‘presidential’ behavior now takes on a whole new meaning. We used this as an opportunity to portray Donald Trump in an homage to George Lois' iconic Richard Nixon Esquire cover."